Pat Appleton describes an event from about 1930, when David Adeniyi was pastor of the first Christian church in Egbe, Yagbaland, Nigeria
What a terrible noise! Loud shouting and drums!
Crowds of villagers were desperate. The rains were late, and twice they had sown their seeds and twice they had failed. What were they to do?
The wooden god
Daeke, priest of the god Shango, promised that Shango would send rain. He climbed a big tree and sat up there cross-legged. He was trying to get as near as he could to the big wooden idol Shango.
Down below the people who worshipped Shango were dancing and swaying around the tree, chanting and crying out for rain. The drums were beating and the sound of rams’ horn trumpets was almost deafening. The noise went on all day and all night. It did not stop in the morning. For three days and nights, the crowd kept crying out to Shango for rain. But Shango was made of wood and could not hear. He certainly could not send rain.
On the fourth day, they sacrificed a calf and put its blood on Shango, the wooden idol. They cried and begged for rain. But no rain came.
Fasting for a week
Now it was the turn of the Muslims. They cried out to Allah. ‘Allah will send rain’, they were sure. They fasted, eating no food for a week, praying, again and again, day and night.
‘Allah Akbar! Allah Akbar! God is great! God is great! There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet!’ they cried.
At the end of the week they went down to the river and sacrificed a ram. Still the rain did not come.
The animists who worshipped Shango had tried and failed. The Muslims had tried and failed. What about the Christians?
The Christian church
On Sunday, David the pastor of the Christian church said: ‘Is it not the time for us who belong to Jesus to pray for rain? Muhammad lived and died. He is still dead. Jesus lived and died, but Jesus came out of the grave alive.’
The pastor read from his Bible from James chapter 5 verses 17 and 18: ‘Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.’
More than a thousand people were present at that service, and they were told that they may come the next evening at seven when they would pray for rain. ‘Come if you believe God answers prayer.’
Next day was very, very hot. There was not a cloud in the sky. But the Christians had God’s promises, and at seven o’clock the church bell rang and people began to arrive.
Hats of faith
The church was full of people and their wide-brimmed umbrella hats were piled up in the aisles.
‘Why bring those hats this evening?’
‘We shall need them for going home in the rain tonight,’ was their reply.
They read James chapter 5 verses 17 and 18 again and then knelt down to pray.
‘Lord, send rain.’ ‘Lord we need rain.’
‘Glorify your name here in Yagbaland!’ they prayed.
Outside the building, the Muslims were waiting on one side and the animists who worshipped Shango on the other. Now they would see which God answers prayer!
Ping! Ping! Ping!
The Christians prayed for ten minutes, … then 20 minutes. Then, after 25 minutes they heard a sound on the tin roof of the church. Ping! Ping! Ping! God had sent the rain! Then the rain began to pour down heavily. Soon the roar of the rain on the roof made it impossible to hear all their joyful praises and thanks to the true God who hears and answers our prayers.
When the believers went home that night they found no Shango worshippers and no Muslims waiting outside. They had not brought their umbrella hats!
If you have a Bible you could read the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings chapter 18 verses 19 to 46.
This is the first story in a book titled Who Will Send Rain? by Pat Appleton, published by Deborah Press. ISBN 978 1 999 651 602 The introduction says: • All the stories in this book are true, and happened between 1900 and 2014. • They have been written, in the first place, hoping the book will reach Christians in various African countries; but also interest and encourage Christians wherever you live. • They are mostly suitable for secondary-school-age students and adults. • They are from different countries in Africa. • Some of the events happened a long time ago, but they have been retold, to God’s honour and glory, to encourage you by reading of great things he did in the past, and can do again. • Some stories are of special events. Others are of the everyday lives of Christians, and what they can teach us for our own lives. • The stories mostly came from books written by missionaries. Some came from magazines.
